New riders are scheduled as appropriate lesson spots become available. Current riders are given first priority when scheduling. If we are unable to schedule your rider, they will be put on a waiting list and notified when an opening becomes available.

Enrollment Steps

• Review the forms and policies below.

• Complete the New Rider Application Form

• Once your application has been processed, you will be contacted by our registrar.

• All new riders will meet with the Riding Program Director for an assessment and evaluation ride on our riding simulator when a potential lesson spot becomes available. Safety for the rider and the horses is our top priority. The assessment and evaluation ride is not a guarantee for placement in the riding program.

• There is a $25 assessment fee. This fee will be waived if placement in riding program is not possible.

If you have any questions, please email manegait@manegait.org or call (469) 742-9611.

Forms for EXISTING ManeGait Riders:.

• Physician Assessment Form – complete before your initial assessment and then yearly prior to Session 1. The Physician Assessment must be completed by a Physician and faxed or delivered to ManeGait.

• Financial Assistance Form– complete to apply for financial assistance and reapply annually prior to Session 5 (December).

• Credit Card Payment Authorization Form - complete to confirm that payment will be made using the approved credit card.

• Information Release Form – complete to request rider progress notes or other information to be released to an outside source.

If you have any questions, please email manegait@manegait.org or call (469) 742-9611.

To protect the well being of our riders, volunteers, horses and employees, the following guidelines will be observed with regard to canceling riding lessons:

• Extreme cold – Mounted lessons: wind chill factor below 35 - Driving lessons: wind chill factor below 45

• Hazardous road conditions

• Extreme heat –heat index factor above 105

• Severe Weather - Tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms, visible lightning or hail storms

How will you be notified? Communications will now be sent through our new texting software. Cancellations will not be announced on the website or voicemail. Instead, texts from the ManeGait number, (469) 837-2625, will be sent with messages that start with "MANEGAIT". Please save this number as ManeGait!

If you have not received text messages or are unsure please email, Megan Bice.

Please note:

• We will not cancel classes the day before, as the forecast may be wrong.

• Cancellation includes the GaitWay program and simulator lessons, unless you are advised to come.

• Pop-up thunderstorms may cause a delay rather than a cancellation. If storms pop up after class has started, we will evaluate conditions before deciding how to proceed.

Riders, family members, volunteers, staff, and visitors are not to come to ManeGait if:

• they feel unwell

• they have knowingly been exposed to any infectious disease

• they have been in close contact to someone suspected with an infectious illness and awaiting a test result / diagnosis

Should an individual be diagnosed or test positive with an infectious illness, they are not to return to ManeGait until:

• they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressant

• AND receive guidance from their physician that it is safe to resume public activity

• If, after participating at ManeGait, an individual tests positive with an infectious illness or discovers they were exposed to a virus, they are advised to contact ManeGait staff immediately to report possible exposure.

Medical Updates: ManeGait must be notified immediately of any changes to a rider’s medical condition, including seizures and/or UTIs, so staff can ensure a safe riding environment. 

To ensure good stewardship of funding and out of respect for volunteers, staff, and 400+ families on the waitlist: 

• If you must miss a lesson, please email attendance@manegait.org

• Riders will be charged the full lesson price for all non-excused absences.

• Excused absences are limited to illness only and reported in advance. 

• More than one absence in the same session will require a doctor’s note.

• Repeated absences may result in dismissal from the program. 

Each riding slot requires paid staff, trained horses, and preparation, whether or not a rider attends. We cannot substitute another rider at the last minute, thus spots represent a significant loss of resources.

• Riders should wear long pants and riding boots (English or Western). Paddock boots are also acceptable. Athletic shoes with thick or oversized soles are not permitted, as they are unsafe in stirrups.

• Required footwear exemptions will apply for medical reasons (e.g. AFO braces).

• Undergarments that provide adequate support and comfort are necessary.

• Wear close-fitting clothing for safety and comfort.

  • Loose fit clothing can get caught and tangled in equipment.

• No dangling jewelry.

• All riders must wear and ASTM/SEI approved Equestrian Helmet. Helmets can be purchased at ManeGait for $30.

Thanks to the generous support of our community, every rider family receives subsidized lessons – for every $50 in Participant Fees collected, $283 is contributed by donors to fully fund the mission.

Implemented January 2026

To improve consistency and reduce issues with late / missed payments:

• A credit card must be kept on file

  • Bank draft, check, or cash payments may also be arranged in advance with our office.

  • Credit Card Payment Authorization Form - complete to confirm that payment will be made using the approved credit card.

• For the riding program, we will automatically charge the card on file for 6 lessons ($300 or discounted amount if on financial aid) upon registration for the session (usually 2 weeks prior to session start).

• Full payment must be made prior to the session start date to stay in the program.

• If there is a remaining balance after the session (due to excused absences or weather cancellations):

  • It will be credited to your next session or reimbursed should you choose not to enroll in future sessions.

Financial aid is available for those unable to afford the fees of $50 per lesson. These scholarships are limited, and we must ensure they are allocated fairly, responsibly, and to those who qualify. 

• Financial Assistance Form– complete to apply for financial assistance and reapply annually prior to Session 5 (December).

• Financial aid will be reviewed annually.

• Financial aid approvals will be based on need and availability of scholarship funds.